STATEWIDE — Texas Independence Day celebrates the adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836, marking Texas’ independence from Mexico.

In order to make you feel extra proud to be a Texan today, we've pulled together a quick history lesson: 

Sixty delegates signed the Texas Declaration

Courtesy/Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Three of them were born in Mexico. Fifty-seven of the sixty moved to Texas from the United States. Ten of them had lived in Texas for more than six years, while one-quarter of them had been in the province for less than a year. This is significant, because it indicates that the majority of signatories had moved to Texas after the Law of April 6, 1830, banning immigration, had taken effect, meaning that the majority were legally citizens of the United States, occupying Texas illegally. Fifty-nine of these men were delegates to the Convention, and one was the Convention Secretary, Herbert S. Kimble.

Texas remained independent for almost 10 years — March 2, 1836 through Dec. 29, 1845

Courtesy/Historical U.S. Maps

In 1843, U.S. President John Tyler, unaligned with any political party, decided independently to pursue the annexation of Texas in a bid to gain a base of popular support for another four years in office. His official motivation was to outmaneuver suspected diplomatic efforts by the British government for emancipation of slaves in Texas, which would undermine slavery in the United States. The Republic of Texas was annexed to the U.S. by joint resolution of the U.S. Congress nine years after the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed.

Sam Houston Day is also observed on March 2

Sam Houston circa 1850 (By unidentified [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

Born in Virginia on March 2, 1793, Sam Houston moved to Texas in 1832, joining the conflict between U.S. settlers and the Mexican government. He became commander of the local army. On April 21, 1836, Houston and his men defeated Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna at San Jacinto to secure Texan independence. He was voted president in 1836 and again in 1841, then served as a senator after Texas became a state in 1845.

Only 1 of the original 5 copies of the Declaration remain

Found at the U.S. State Department in 1896, it now resides in the Texas State Archives in Austin.

To read it in full, go here. 

Battle for Texas independence began over a cannon 

The "Come and Take It" cannon of the Battle of Gonzales (The cannon is the real thing, the carriage a reproduction) on display at the Gonzales Memorial Museum, Gonzales, Texas, United States. Courtesy of Larry D. Moore Photography. Image available on Wikipedia and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.

During a period of high tensions between settlers and Mexican natives, the Mexicans had left a small cannon in the town of Gonzales for the purpose of warding off Indian attacks. Sensing hostilities, the Mexicans decided to take the cannon out of the hands of the settlers and sent a force of 100 horsemen under Lt. Francisco de Castañeda to retrieve it. When Castañeda reached Gonzales, he found the city in open defiance, daring him to “come and take it.” After a small skirmish, Castañeda retreated: he had no orders concerning how to deal with open rebellion. The Battle of Gonzales, as it came to be known, was the spark that ignited the Texas War of Independence.

Replica of the Come and Take It Flag Hanging at the Texas State Capitol. Image available on Wikipedia and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.

Leading up to the signing, even after, battles raged on 

According to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Texas Declaration of Independence was issued during a revolution against the Mexican government that began in October 1835 following a series of government edicts including dissolution of state legislatures, disarmament of state militias and abolition of the Constitution of 1824.

By December 1835, Texans (Anglo-American settlers) and Tejanos (Texans of mixed Mexican and Indian descent) captured the town of San Antonio. Two months later, on February 23, 1836, Mexican troops under Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna arrived in San Antonio to retake the city. Although Sam Houston ordered Texans to abandon San Antonio, a group of rebels decided to defend the town and make their stand at an abandoned Spanish mission, the Alamo.

For 12 days, Mexican forces laid siege to the Alamo. On March 6, four days after Texas declared independence, Mexican troops scaled the mission’s walls; 183 defenders were killed, including several Mexicans who had fought for Texas independence, and their oil-soaked bodies were set on fire outside the Alamo. The Republic of Texas won its independence on April 21, 1836, with a final battle along the San Jacinto River.